~Chapter 59~
On the outside, Eileen looked confident—but inside, she was actually relieved that her guess had been right.
“Even if the timeline is completely mixed up, some events still happen no matter what.”
Theo’s visit itself had come years earlier than it was supposed to. She had thought maybe the future had completely changed. But it seemed that when something happened through someone’s intention, that event would always find its way to occur, because the cause—the person’s motive—remained the same.
In the future Eileen remembered, this exact problem had also happened while Theo was away from the kingdom. So, it was clear that the queen had made her move while Theo was gone.
“How did you know that? You will not answer even if I ask, right?”
“What if I told you I can see the future? Would you believe that?”
Eileen had come rushing to meet him without properly sorting out her thoughts, so she hadn’t planned how to explain everything. The words that came out were simply honest.
“If you say it so suddenly, how could I believe that? Are you saying you are some kind of prophet?”
“Not that grand. I just know things that might be useful.”
Eileen had to admit—even to herself—that her approach might not have been perfect. But there was no other choice but to keep pushing forward.
“Someone caused this on purpose. There’s an antidote, and it’s not difficult to get.”
Theo immediately noticed what she was not saying out loud.
“So you are saying you will not tell me what it is right away?”
“As I said, I have a favor to ask first.”
Her words sounded unbelievable—almost absurd. But Theo did not turn away, and that was because of the divine oracle he had recently received. It had been the first one in centuries.
“The one who needs your help where you are headed will also be the one to help you.”
He had heard that mysterious voice under the sacred tree that was now dying. It had come only once, like a whisper near his ear. He had tried to ask what it meant, but there was only silence.
“It was as if… the voice knew my doubts.”
Although Theo had been blessed strongly by the goddess, he never liked relying on that power. He had always questioned whether the goddess truly still protected them. After all, the kingdom itself was crumbling slowly from within.
And yet, as if to deny his doubts, that oracle had come.
Still, it had not been like the grand messages of old tales. It was soft and fleeting—like a breeze—and no one else around him had heard it. Only Theo had. He remembered staring at the silver leaves swaying in the wind, wondering if it had been real.
“What is your request?” he asked at last.
Eileen was surprised by how calmly he accepted her story. She had thought she would need to list countless pieces of proof to convince him.
“You are not asking me more questions?” she said.
“The one who is the source of my power told me to trust you,” he replied simply.
Eileen saw him place his gloved right hand over his left hand and realized what he meant. And in that moment, she felt something strange—like she might finally understand why she had been forced to live in this world with knowledge she never asked for.
“I’ve always wondered…”
Why couldn’t she see people just as they were—why did she always see their past, present, and future all at once?
If she had not known how her parents and grandmother died—if she could have believed it was just a sudden accident—maybe life would have been easier.
Why was she given all this knowledge if she could not change anything? That question had haunted her for years.
“The person you think is behind all this—the one who says your actions and contact with outsiders go against the goddess’s will—it is her doing,” Eileen explained.
“The queen?” Theo asked.
Eileen sighed and added more detail. Theo nodded, as if he had suspected something like that already.
“Strange. I was told the opposite—that I should go outside,” he said.
“You were told that? By whom?”
“Who knows. Maybe it was about you,” Theo said with a small, knowing smile.
He could tell what she was curious about. Eileen might have known a lot, but she still looked confused—because, in the end, she was also someone searching for answers.
“…Or maybe not,” Theo added lightly.
“As I said, I do not even know why I know the things I do,” Eileen admitted.
“For example?”
“For example, I know that the most precious thing you own is your mother’s silver comb.”
That was something only Theo knew—a deeply personal secret. It was not something dangerous to reveal, but it was still unsettling to hear from someone else.
Eileen’s tired green eyes showed no intent to use it against him.
Theo stroked his chin and suddenly asked a question from a completely different direction.
“So tell me—my half-sister, is she truly my father’s daughter?”
“The second princess? Yes. She’s the king and queen’s real child, unfortunately for you,” Eileen replied, her tone short and dry.
Her brows arched upward as if to say, You said you trusted me, so why keep testing me like this?
“Do you not need the antidote information?” she asked sharply.
Eileen was getting impatient. She had not come here to satisfy his curiosity—she was here to negotiate.
It turned out her earlier relief about not needing to prove herself was short-lived.
“That’s true,” Theo said, smiling slightly. “But it seems we are both curious about many things.”
For some reason, even though Eileen knew more, she felt like she was losing ground in this exchange. She glared at him, but Theo only met her gaze calmly and asked,
“So, what is your favor?”
“…Cedric. He went to deal with the remaining rebels, and I am worried,” Eileen said.
Theo looked intrigued and leaned closer, his eyes sparkling with interest. But Eileen’s tone stayed firm, keeping a polite distance.
“You want me to go there,” he said.
“Yes. I would appreciate it if you could support him.”
Her voice didn’t sound particularly grateful, but Theo didn’t seem to care.
“If I suddenly appear there, people will find it strange.”
“Then make up a reason yourself,” she replied coldly.
Theo chuckled softly. He seemed more relaxed now—almost too casual for Eileen’s liking.
“So you want to hire me as your personal mercenary. And in exchange…”
“In exchange, I’ll tell you whatever I can—as long as it doesn’t harm Cedric or me. I don’t know what will be most useful to you, but I’ll share what I know,” she said.
It still felt like a deal where she was giving more than she was getting, but Theo’s abilities were worth it. Their strange partnership might actually work, even if it felt unpredictable.
Theo looked up at the distant sky for a moment, then turned to Eileen with a faint, playful smile.
“Something tells me this won’t be the last time you’ll need my help. I hope the next information you offer is worth more.”
“Doesn’t the thing about the second princess count as valuable?”
“I already knew that,” he said casually.
So he had double-checked and confirmed everything she’d said already.
Eileen sighed. She had only said that to test him too. After all, she hadn’t mentioned the most important secret—the fact that the queen, who hated Theo so much, was now pregnant, and the child she carried would soon become the Third Prince.
Sometimes, people really needed to choose their questions more carefully.
